


Everything Starts Somewhere

by SaltyCostumer



Series: Let Your Arrow Fly [1]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-21
Updated: 2017-07-21
Packaged: 2018-12-04 23:22:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11565489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaltyCostumer/pseuds/SaltyCostumer
Summary: Coulson and Hawkeye are stuck in a safehouse after a mission, and things get interesting.Check out for the companion piece, written by Evespring, which is from Clint's POV.Pre-Avengers, no spoilers.





	Everything Starts Somewhere

The mission had seemed like a cakewalk right up until the time that it was obvious that Clint had been set up. Clint had still managed to eliminate the target, of course. Then he’d gotten out, with a little bit of help from one Phillip J. Coulson, but they’d been told to lay low for a couple of weeks before they tried to make it to the extraction point. 

That had been four days ago. And Phil was starting to think that it was going to be a very, very long ten days. Because sometime during day two, Clint had apparently decided to amuse himself by flirting with his handler. At first it was fidgeting with the neck of his beer bottle in a suggestive manner. It had gotten worse from there, and day four’s addition had been to start walking around without a shirt on. Yes, a very, very long ten days.

Phil told himself sternly that Clint was just bored, and doing this for the amusement value. That he enjoyed being one of the few people in the world who knew Phil well enough to make him squirm visibly, and this was just the latest addition to Clint’s arsenal of ‘things that drive Coulson nuts’. As far as he knew, Clint didn’t even know for certain that he was into guys. Hell, this could even be an attempt on Barton’s part to win the rather substantial sum of money that had been wagered on determining Phil’s sexual orientation. Or at least to get enough actionable intel to get ‘asexual’ and “only screws sheep’ crossed off of the list.

He reminded himself that he was a highly trained secret agent, and that he knew how to withstand all sorts of physical and mental and emotional torture. That he knew how to spot a honey trap and avoid it. That it was common for people who worked together closely to develop sexual feelings, and that part of being an adult was putting that energy back into the work and not letting it cloud your judgement. Reminded himself that SHIELD absolutely, positively forbade handlers from pursuing a sexual relationship with their agents. That even if his career survived the explosion it still wouldn’t be worth it. Because until and unless he found another person he trusted to take over, he was the only one he trusted to keep Clint and Natasha alive. That more than most agents, they needed the right handler, and he was the only one who wanted the job. Which was why he had been allowed to keep his job, the job he loved, instead of getting promoted.

Phil reminded himself of all of this, and he still couldn’t stop himself from glancing over when Clint bent over to dig something out of his duffle. It wasn’t much of a glance. More a flicker of the eyes, really. Besides Clint had his back to him. Which was why he’d been checking out Clint’s ass, instead of his chest. 

“You’re checking out my ass.” Clint said, a note of triumph in his voice, not looking up from his search.

“Agent Barton,” Phil said, reminded Clint, and himself that they had a professional relationship. That their relationship did not, could not, involve him running his hands over the aforementioned ass while he kissed Clint. Repeatedly. Focus, Coulson, focus, he told himself sternly. “Agent Barton, this is a small place. It’s more or less inevitable that I’m going to look at you at some point. But the fact that I glanced in your direction does not mean that I am quote “checking out your ass” end quote.”

“No,” Clint said with a smirk, turning to face Phil “The fact that you’re checking out my ass is what means you’re checking out my ass. You’ve been checking me out for the entire day, matter of fact.”

“I haven’t been ‘checking you out’.” Phil protested “I’ve just been noticing that you aren’t wearing your shirt, and wondering if I should make sure that our next mission is in a cooler climate.” Yes, a cool climate. Where they would both have to spend the entire mission dressed in parkas.

“Oh, I like the sound of that.” Clint said, standing up and starting to walk in Phil’s direction “You and me, in a tent in the woods. Snow all around, sleeping bags zipped together so we can stay warm…”

Phil closed his eyes and counted, slowly, to ten. Or started to. By the time he got to six, his eyes snapped open, as he felt the warmth of Clint’s hand on his cheek. “Dammit, Agent Barton. What is it that you think that you’re doing?” Phil snapped, his tone more frustrated than angry.

“I want you to admit that I’m not going nuts and seeing things just because I want to see them.” Clint replied. Phil knew that tone. It was the tone Clint used when he was laying down a full house, and wasn’t positive you weren’t holding four of a kind. “That you’re into me the same way that I’m interested in you.”

“And if I do that? What then?” Phil asked, “Break up the team? Inflict you and Natasha on some poor, unsuspecting soul?” 

“Not hardly.” Clint said with a shake of his head, “What we do is we find a way to make it work. Just like we pulled it off in Santa Clara, just like we pulled it off this time. Just like we always pull it off.”

“We’ll have to keep it a secret.” Coulson said, knowing that he’d lost, and now he was just negotiating the terms of surrender.

“I can live with that.”

“Even from Natasha.” Not that he didn’t trust Agent Romanov, but three was a conspiracy. And conspiracies got discovered, eventually.

“Are you kidding? She’s the one who told me you wanted to get into my pants.”

“Ok, not from Natasha. But she’s the only one.” On the other hand, she and Clint were the only two people in the world he’d want to be involved in conspiring with.

“Deal.”


End file.
